6

HARRISON BECKETT, born a slave of I.D. Thomas of San Augustine,
Texas, now lives in Beaumont. A great-grandson climbed into
Harrison's lap during the interview, and his genial face lit up
with a smile. He chuckled as he told of his own boyhood days, and
appeared to enjoy reminiscing. At times he uses big words, some of
his own coining.

"I's 'mong de culls now, like a hoss what am too old. I's purty small
yit when 'mancipation comes and didn't have no hard work. Old Massa have
me and de other li'l niggers keep de stock out de fields. Us li'l
boogers have to run and keep de cows out de corn and de cotton patch.
Dat ought to been 'nough to keep us out of debbilment.

"It come to pass my mammy work in de field. Her name Cynthia Thomas and
daddy's name Isaac Thomas. But after freedom he goes back to Florida and
find out he people and git he real name, and dat am Beckett. Dat 'bout
ten years after 'mancipation he go back to he old home in Florida.
Mammy's people was de Polkses, in Georgia. Mammy come in from de field
at nine or ten o'clock at night and she be all wore out and too tired to
cook lots of times. But she have to git some food for us. We all had a
tin pan and git round de table and dat like a feast. But lots of times
she's so tired she go to bed without eatin' nothin' herself.

"My sisters was Ellen and Sani and Georgy-Ann and Cindy and Sidi-Ann.
Dey's all big 'nough to work in de field. My brudders name Matthew and
Ed and Henry and Harry, what am me, and de oldes' one am General Thomas.

"Dey more'n a hundred head of black folks on Massa Thomas' two farms,
and 'bout a hundred fifty acres in each farm. One de farms in iron ore,
what am red land, and de other in gray land, half sand and half black
dirt.

"Us slaves live in pole houses and some in split log houses, with two
rooms, one for to sleep in and one for to cook in. Day ain't
no glass windows, jus' holes in de walls. Dere was jack beds to sleep
on, made out of poles. Dey has four legs and ain't nail to de walls.

"Old Massa he care for he hands purty well, considerin' everything. In
ginnin' time he 'low de women to pick up cotton from de ground and make
mattresses and quilts. He make some cloth and buy some. A woman weave
all de time and when de shickle jump out on de floor I picks it up. I
used to could knit socks and I was jes' a li'l boy then, but I keep
everything in 'membrance.

"Dey have some school and de